Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Glitter And Be Gay

We woke up to a downpour during the wee hours of Monday morning. I found it magnificent. San Geraldo found it foreboding.

Later Monday morning, the sky and sea displayed what I thought were brilliant and dramatic colour and contrast. San Geraldo thought it was "evil and threatening."

And so the day went. We managed to get ourselves to the gym in the afternoon for an uplifting, pun intended, workout. (San Geraldo will probably ask, "What pun?")

Tuesday was an uneventful day. My depression comes and goes. But it's mild and manageable. Moments of miserable thoughts that soon pass. Much longer moments of gratitude for a good life and kind, empathetic people like San Geraldo and all of you.

I hope you don't mind if in the coming days I share stories of my experience of clinical depression. Although I still obviously have challenges at times, treatment absolutely transformed my life. Maybe it can help you or someone you know either to understand it better or to get through it.

Meanwhile, here are some photos of the terrace view of Monday morning's magnificent, brilliant, dramatic, foreboding, evil, and threatening Mediterranean Sea and sky.

(Click any image and decide which descriptors you would use.)

A FEW HOURS LATER AS WE HEADED OUT FOR COFFEE.
I SAID, "WOW!" SAN GERALD SAID, "DREARY."

"Enough, enough of being basely tearful!I'll show my noble stuff by being gay and cheerful!"

Mitchell, my younger daughter asked my older daughter one day about taking her meds for depression, usually somewhat mild. She was concerned about it becoming addictive and a little ashamed of having to take them. My older daughter (nurse practitioner) told her to just take the meds. The dosage is mild enough to not become a problem, and there is no shame in taking depression meds. These make a huge difference in her demeanor and she is much happier with the meds. No more discussion. God bless!

John:Over the years, a combination of talk-therapy and medication (currently two different meds). When the brain chemistry is working as a result of the meds, no talk-therapy is needed. I hope to tell more about my experiences today.

Wow, that Kristin Chenoweth! What a voice!Those are incredible views that you and San Geraldo shared! How interesting that you saw them differently from each other. As always, I will look forward to reading more about your life -- enlightening all of us can't be a bad thing!

.......by being gay and cheerful!! The first one is a SNAP, right?! The second one we are all working on.Those photos are beautiful! And to think all you have to do is look through your terrace windows. I too love a good stormy sky and all that goes with it. Tells us who is boss!

Love Patti, and Kristin...and storms! The rain we've had in Indiana for the last few days hasn't been as beautiful. Or, maybe it has been, and I just don't have as spectacular a view. My rainy day was spent in a coffee shop reading a book. Dreary? Maybe. Bliss? Yes!

I look forward to your stories about depression, Mitchell. Some of us who are the most heartwarming and sassy face that ongoing battle. You never know, too, who you're going to reach by talking/writing about it. You're a good one.

I'll be interested in hearing how it hits you and how you manage to keep up your blog in spite of it. I'm not sure if it's depression or what that strikes when I try to write, but I start blogging and before long I feel it's stupid and boring. Then I get a sick feeling as all my confidence drains away so I wimp out. It takes courage to write a blog especially when you're not feeling up to it.

Ms Sparrow:When I crash, I do feel like my blog is of no interest to anyone. Sometimes I pull back on my posts but, so far, somehow, I've been able to keep it going. It's certainly cathartic. I try to remind myself that I started this blog simply as a way to record the winding course my life had always taken as we prepared to make another swerve in direction ... to Spain. Meeting people like you was a huge surprise to me and a tremendous bonus. So, on my good days, I remember that I write this for me and am simply lucky to have you and others to share it with. In the case of my stories about living with clinical depression, I suppose I AM hoping for a larger audience and that I can make a difference. Just so you know, I LOVE reading your blog and hope you get beyond feeling stupid and boring, and simply entertain yourself (and anyone else lucky enough to come along).